Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
County Adds 'Medical Investigators' to Hunt Down COVID Cases
TLBBHMAP3-U010ALB5ANM-348f959abae2-512-300x300-1
By Jim Jakobs, Digital Producer
Published 5 years ago on
May 19, 2020

Share

The Fresno County Health Department knew who to call for help tracking down COVID-19 cases — EMTs laid off because of a dip in service calls during the pandemic.

“American Ambulance and the county agreed we would start out with a team of 15 to do medical investigation. This allowed us to bring back 13 of the 15 EMTs we laid off in March.” — Bob Adams, human resources director, American Ambulance

Now, many of these EMTs are joining the county’s 15-person MIT — Medical Investigation Team.

The MITs are trained specifically to talk to, assess, and document information from patients.

“We just did a bridge to bring some of those (EMTs) on to be trained and do this work at our direction,” said David Pomaville, director of the Fresno County Department of Public Health. “They will have phenomenal insight into how the public is addressing this concern.”

EMTs Bring a Needed Skillset to the Job

American Ambulance hired 15 new EMTs in early March. But, after their classroom training, the call volume fell 25% due to COVID-19.

“I had to deliver the news that we were laying them all off,” American Ambulance Director of Human Resources Bob Adams tells GV Wire by email. “Since then, we have had several conversations with various people at the Health Department and it was identified that our EMTs and Paramedics all have … the skill set needed for Medical Investigation.”

Medical investigation is a little different than contact tracing. Contact tracing is the process of finding and reaching out to the contacts of someone who tests positive for an infectious pathogen.

Adams says medical investigators interview people who have tested positive for COVID-19. From there, they work to identify the person’s contacts and provide them with information on how to care for themselves.

Those identified as having contact with a positive COVID-19 case are put in touch with a contact tracer. The contact tracer then provides information on what to watch out for, when to seek additional evaluation or medical treatment, and how to keep safe.

“American Ambulance and the county agreed we would start out with a team of 15 to do medical investigation,” says Adams.  “This allowed us to bring back 13 of the 15 EMTs we laid off in March.”

The medical investigators are training this week at American Ambulance’s training center in Clovis.

Schools Expected to Help With Contact Tracing

Schools will play a significant role in helping with contact tracing.

“It became very evident to us as we go forward and as we start to bring school systems back in place, that they’re going to become the first point of contact for people to report that they’ve had a positive COVID,” said Pomaville.

Pomaville said this group will include school nurses. The county health department is working with schools on a training program.

“We’re putting together a memorandum of understanding so both parties know the rules of who does what,” said Pomaville. “We’ve been talking with the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools conceptually with this. We have been in touch with Fresno Unified, Clovis Unified, and Sanger Unified on a daily basis.”

Pomaville also says the county is training on a state database that will be deployed across a variety of digital platforms to allow everyone to work collectively on contact tracing.

The Medical Investigation Questionaire


DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Yastrzemski and Chapman Homers Help Giants Rally Past the Brewers

DON'T MISS

Fresno City Council Finally Passes a Tough Smoke Shop Ordinance

DON'T MISS

Fresno Unified Trustee Wittrup Says District Had Stronger Candidates Than Misty Her

DON'T MISS

Trump Poised to Offer Saudi Arabia Over $100 Billion Arms Package, Sources Say

DON'T MISS

Lights, Camera, Board Vote: Fresno Unified’s Carefully Choreographed Production

DON'T MISS

US Farm Agency Withdraws Proposal Aimed at Lowering Salmonella Risks in Poultry

DON'T MISS

On Major Economic Decisions, Trump Blinks, and Then Blinks Again

DON'T MISS

Candi Is the Dandy to Add a Little Sweetness to Your Life

DON'T MISS

How Trump Tariffs Could Upend California Farms, Wine Businesses, and Ports

DON'T MISS

Tulare Man Sentenced to State Prison for DUI Crash That Injured Two Women

UP NEXT

Candi Is the Dandy to Add a Little Sweetness to Your Life

UP NEXT

How Trump Tariffs Could Upend California Farms, Wine Businesses, and Ports

UP NEXT

Don’t Miss Out! Tower District’s Porchfest Festival Is Saturday

UP NEXT

Fresno Stabbing Leaves Son Dead, Father Charged With Murder

UP NEXT

Survey: Californians Blame Utility Company Spending, Profits for High Electricity Rates

UP NEXT

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Jonathan Scott Riester

UP NEXT

Chicago Bears Great Steve McMichael Dies at 67 After Battle With ALS

UP NEXT

Long Wait Is Over for Cam Ward, Travis Hunter and Other Draft Prospects Joining the NFL

UP NEXT

Golden State’s Jimmy Butler Injured in Game 2 Loss, His Status for Game 3 Unknown

UP NEXT

Jalen Green Makes Eight 3s to Help Rockets Even Series With Warriors

Trump Poised to Offer Saudi Arabia Over $100 Billion Arms Package, Sources Say

17 hours ago

Lights, Camera, Board Vote: Fresno Unified’s Carefully Choreographed Production

17 hours ago

US Farm Agency Withdraws Proposal Aimed at Lowering Salmonella Risks in Poultry

17 hours ago

On Major Economic Decisions, Trump Blinks, and Then Blinks Again

18 hours ago

Candi Is the Dandy to Add a Little Sweetness to Your Life

18 hours ago

How Trump Tariffs Could Upend California Farms, Wine Businesses, and Ports

18 hours ago

Tulare Man Sentenced to State Prison for DUI Crash That Injured Two Women

19 hours ago

Judge Partly Blocks Trump Order Seeking to Overhaul US Elections

20 hours ago

Two From Search Group That Uncovered Mexico’s ‘Ranch of Horror’ Killed

20 hours ago

US Warns States They Could Lose Transportation Funding Over Immigration, DEI Policies

20 hours ago

Yastrzemski and Chapman Homers Help Giants Rally Past the Brewers

SAN FRANCISCO — Mike Yastrzemski and Matt Chapman homered as the San Francisco Giants rallied to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-5 on Thursday ...

14 hours ago

14 hours ago

Yastrzemski and Chapman Homers Help Giants Rally Past the Brewers

15 hours ago

Fresno City Council Finally Passes a Tough Smoke Shop Ordinance

16 hours ago

Fresno Unified Trustee Wittrup Says District Had Stronger Candidates Than Misty Her

President Donald Trump delivers remarks during an 'Unleashing American Energy' event at the Department of Energy in Washington, U.S., June 29, 2017. (REUTERS File)
17 hours ago

Trump Poised to Offer Saudi Arabia Over $100 Billion Arms Package, Sources Say

17 hours ago

Lights, Camera, Board Vote: Fresno Unified’s Carefully Choreographed Production

Chickens sit at a poultry farm. March 12, 2025. (REUTERS/Diego Vara/File Photo)
17 hours ago

US Farm Agency Withdraws Proposal Aimed at Lowering Salmonella Risks in Poultry

18 hours ago

On Major Economic Decisions, Trump Blinks, and Then Blinks Again

Candi, GV Wire's Adoptable Cat of the Week
18 hours ago

Candi Is the Dandy to Add a Little Sweetness to Your Life

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend